Thin-place-detecting means for looms.



AP R HOADES.- THIN PLACE DETECTING MEANS FOR LO0MS.-

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1909.

Patented Apr. 26', 1910..

h llllllllfllllllilllllll.

.WIHNIIIIIINIIN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO E. RHOADES, OF l-IOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COM-PANY, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

THIN-PLACE-DETECTING MEANS FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 13, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHOADES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hopedale, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Thin-Place-Detecting Means for Looms, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representinglike parts.

This invention has for its object the production of novel means fordetecting promptly the occurrence of a thin place or streak in the clothbeing woven on a loom, and to effect automatically a change in theoperation of the loom, such as stoppage thereof, when such detection ismade.

I have so constructed and arranged the apparatus embodying one practicalform of my invention that the detector or finger can be positioned orset practically at the fell, or at a distance of only a pick or twotherefrom, so that the detection of a thin place is very prompt,minimizing the amount of cloth to be picked out when a thin placeoccurs. To enable such a close setting of the detector, without anyinterference with the reed as the lay beats up, I have mounted thedetector on the temple head, so that the detector is moved in unisonwith the fell at the beat up, and detecting movement of the detector isutilized to bring about release of the shipper through forward movementof the usual fork-slide.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described inthe subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in thefollowing claims.

Figure l is a top plan View of a portion of a loom with thin placedetecting means embodying my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is anenlarged cross-sectional view on the line 22, Fig. 1, looking toward theback of the loom. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3, Fig.1, looking toward the left, showing the latch mounted on the fork-slideand adapted to cooperate with the weft-hammer upon detection of a thinplace.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the detector,

showing it resting upon the cloth adjacent the fell.

In the drawings, 1 is the lay, 2 the usual shipper, released from itsholding-notch by movement of the knock-off lever 3 when the usualfork-slide 4 is moved forward; 5 is the filling fork, 6 the vibrator orweft-hammer, having a hook 7 to cotiperate with the fork-tail whenabsence of filling is detected by the fork, and 8 is a temple standfixed on the breast-beam 9 and having a reciprocating shank 10,longitudinally slidable in the stand and provided with a suitable temple11 furnished with a depending heel 12, Fig. 2, to be struck by the layas it heats up and thereby move the temple forward. All of said partsare and may be of well known or usual construction and operate in amanner familiar to those skilled in the art.

Upon the upper part or pod of the temple 11 I attach a casting 13 havingparallel, upright cars 14 which carry a pivot 15, on which is fulcrumeda block 16, the pivot being parallel to the direction of movement of thefork-slide 4. An elongated-arm 18 is adjustably held in the upper partof the block by set-screw 17, Fig. 1, and extends inward parallel to thefell of the cloth, the free end of said arm being turned rearward at 19and then downward at 20 to form the detector proper, such detector thusbeing brought to bear upon the cloth immediately adjacent the fell 21,as shown clearly in Fig. 4.

A boss 22 on the block 16, overhanging the front one of the ears 14, hasextended frontward therefrom a stud 23 on which is mounted loosely asleeve 24 provided with a slotted arm 25 extended laterally toward thefork-slide, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said arm has a threaded hole toreceive the threaded shank of a link 26 having an apertured head 27,rotation of the link serving to move its head toward or away from thestud 23. I

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the forkslide is provided at its innerside with parallel cars 28, between which is pivoted at 29 the hub 30 ofa latch 31 which is movable into and out of the path of the weft-hammerhook 7, a depending lug 32 on the hub hav-, ing rigidly attached to it arod 33 extended forward parallel to the fork-slide and having a freesliding fit in the head 27 of the link 26. The rod 33 is parallel to thelatch fulcrum 29, the stud 23, andthe fulcrum 15 for the detector arm18, and viewing Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the detector 20 isresting on the cloth the latch 31 will be held raised above the path ofthe vibrating hook 7, and as the temple moves back and forth the linkhead 27 slides along the rod 33. If, however, a thin place occurs in thecloth the detector 20 descends through the warp and thereby the block 16is rocked to the right on its fulcrum 15, and the arm 25 acts throughthe link 26 and lug 32 to swing the latch 31 down into operative position to be engaged by the hook 7 on the forward stroke of theweft-hammer 6i This engagement of latch and hook moves the slide {toutward, rocking the knock-off lever 3 and releasing the shipepr 2, toeffect loom stoppage in the usual way. W hen the slide is moved outwardthe rod 33 slides through the headof the link, so that no disarrangementof parts can occur. As the detector arm 18 is quite long relative to thedistance between the fulcrum 15 and the stud 23, and the leverage of thelug 32 is very short, the descent of the detector through the cloth isample to effect the operative positioning of the latch 31. Inasmuch asthe temple moves forward on each forward beat of the lay the detector,mounted on the temple, will be moved in unison therewith, and thus thedetector is prevented from being interfered with by the reed at the timethe filling is beaten in. No strain is brought upon the temple or uponthe parts carried thereby when the fork-slide is moved forward, for atsuch time the rod 33 slides freely through the head of the link 26, aswill be apparent. The adjustment of the link in the arm 25 providesfor.lateral adjustment of the temple stand, for the latter is movedtoward or away from the path of the fork-slide in order to properly setthe temple with relation to the cloth, and when such temple adjustmentis made the link is adjusted correspondingly.

The detector can be adjusted laterally by means of the set-screw 17, andit can also be set with its tip toward or away from the fell of thecloth by turning the arm 18 in one or the other direction in the block16 and then tightening the set-screw.

Changes in details of construction and arrangement may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention, as set forth in the claims annexed hereto.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a loom, in combination, a thin-place detector to normally restupon the cloth adjacent the fell, a reciprocating temple upon which thedetector is pivotally mounted, said detector thereby movingsubstantially in unison with the fell of the cloth when the filling isbeaten in, a filling fork, a forkslide, means actuated by movementthereof to effect a change in the operation of the loom, a vibratornormally acting to move the slide by cooperation with the fillingfork, alatch carried by the slide and adapt. ed, upon direct cooperation withthe vibrator and independently of the filling-fork, to effect movementof the slide, and means governed by the detector to operatively positionthe latch when a thin place in the cloth is detected.

2. In a loom, in combination, a thin-place detector to normally restupon the cloth adj acent the fell, a reciprocating temple upon which thedetector is pivotally mounted, said detector thereby movingsubstantially in unison with the fell of the cloth when the filling isbeaten in, means to adjust said detector laterally with relation to thetemple and also toward and fromv the fell of the cloth, and means,including a forl slicle and a shipper, to effect release of the shipperautomatically upon the detection by said detector of a thin place in thecloth.

3, In a loom, in combination, a thin-place detector to normally restupon the cloth adj acent the fell, means to effect forward movement ofthe detector with the fell at the beat-up of the filling, a shipper,releas ing means therefor, including a slide and an actuating membertherefor, a latch carried by the slide and adapted to at times cooperatewith said member, and sliding connections between the latch and detectorgoverned by the detector to effect operative positioning of the latchwhen detection of a thin place in the cloth occurs.

4. In a loom, in combination, a thin-place detector to normally restupon the cloth adjacent the fell, a reciprocating temple, a rockingsupport thereon with which the detector is adjustably connected, aslide, an ac tuating member therefor, a latch pivoted on the slide andadapted when operatively positioned, to effect cooperation between theslide and its actuating member, and adjustable, sliding connectionsbetween said latch and the detector and controlled by the latter, tooperatively position the latch upon the occurrence of a thin place inthe cloth.

5. In thin-place detecting means for looms, a detector to normallyrestupon the cloth adjacent the fell of the cloth, a fork-slide, avibrating weft-hammer to actuate it, a latch pivotally mounted on theslide and adapted to at times engage the weft-hammer and ef fect directcooperation between it and said slide, to cause a change in theoperation of the loom, and sliding controlling connections between thedetector and the latch, to retain the latter in inoperative positionuntil the occurrence of a thin place in the cloth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALONZO E. RI-IOADES.

Vvitnesses FRANK H. FRENCH, E. D. Oseoon.

